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What Is a Virtual Phone Number? How It Works, What It Costs and Who Needs One
A virtual phone number is a real phone number that is not tied to a SIM card or a handset. It lives online: SMS sent to it show up in a web account or an API, and calls to it are forwarded over the internet to an app or phone system. With Fully Signal you can get a real UK, Australian or Brazilian mobile number in minutes, with free incoming SMS and calls, paid from a prepaid balance.
In this article
Phone numbers used to come with a SIM card, a contract and a shop visit. A virtual number removes all three. This guide answers what is a virtual phone number, how it works behind the scenes, and when it is the right tool.
What is a virtual phone number?
A virtual phone number is a normal, dialable phone number — for example a UK +44 7… mobile number — that is hosted in the cloud instead of on a SIM card. Nothing physical changes hands:
- SMS sent to the number arrive in your online account (and, for businesses, an API or webhook).
- Calls to the number are forwarded over the internet to a SIP address: a free app on your phone, a desktop softphone or an office phone system.
- You manage it in a browser: buy it, read messages, set call forwarding, cancel it.
To the person texting or calling you, it is simply a phone number in that country.
How it works
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. You pick a location | e.g. United Kingdom mobile, Australia mobile, Brazil mobile |
| 2. You pick a number | Any available number, or a specific one from the list |
| 3. The number is assigned to you | Usually within minutes |
| 4. Someone texts it | The SMS lands in your account within seconds |
| 5. Someone calls it | The call rings in your SIP app or phone system |
Behind the scenes a licensed carrier owns the number range and routes its traffic to the provider's platform, which hands it to you over the internet.
Virtual number vs SIM card vs eSIM
| Virtual number | Physical SIM | eSIM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs a phone slot | No | Yes | Yes (eSIM-capable phone) |
| Gives mobile data | No | Usually | Yes |
| Gives a phone number | Yes | Usually | Often not — travel eSIMs are mostly data-only |
| Works on many devices at once | Yes (browser, apps) | No | No |
| Setup time | Minutes | Days (post or shop) | Minutes |
The two products complement each other. A traveller can use a travel eSIM for data and a virtual number for SMS and calls — more in travel eSIM + virtual number.
Who uses virtual numbers
- People living or working abroad who need a UK, Australian or Brazilian number for banks, deliveries, landlords or friends at home.
- Small businesses that want a local number in a market before opening an office.
- Online sellers and freelancers who keep work and personal contact separate.
- Developers and platforms that send and receive SMS automatically through an API.
- Resellers — travel agencies, telecoms and eSIM brands — who sell numbers to their own customers (how to resell phone numbers).
What a virtual number costs
With Fully Signal the price has three simple parts:
- A monthly price per number, paid 1, 3 or 12 months at a time depending on the location. Longer plans cost less per month.
- Free incoming SMS and calls, with no limit.
- Outgoing SMS at a few cents per message part, to numbers in the same country.
Any available number has no setup fee of ours; picking one specific number adds a small one-off fee. The full breakdown is in virtual phone number pricing.
Limits to know
- Not every app accepts virtual numbers. Most services send verification codes to them without trouble, but a few refuse virtual numbers by policy. Test the service you need first (receiving SMS online).
- Outgoing SMS stay in-country. A UK number texts UK numbers. This keeps prices low and blocks premium-rate fraud.
- Outgoing calls are not part of the retail service yet; incoming calls work today.
FAQ
What is a virtual phone number?
A real phone number hosted in the cloud rather than on a SIM card. SMS arrive in an online account and calls are forwarded over the internet to an app or phone system.
Is a virtual number a real phone number?
Yes. It is a normal number in that country's numbering plan, for example a UK 07 mobile number, and anyone can text or call it.
Do I need a second phone or SIM?
No. You read SMS in your browser and take calls in a free SIP app on the phone you already have.
Can a virtual number receive verification codes?
Usually yes. Most services send codes to virtual numbers, but some apps refuse them by policy, so test the service you need first.
How is a virtual number different from an eSIM?
An eSIM is a digital SIM that mainly gives mobile data. A virtual number gives a phone number for SMS and calls and needs no SIM at all.
